WI: Buddhist Europe

There would not likely be a completely Buddhist religious stucture in Europe unless you butterfly away Christianity.Continuing from above with Buddhist-influenced Christianity, you could have European scholars translate the sutras into Latin, among other languages. This might have the effect of creating a literary exchange between Europe and Asia as a result of the Europeans communicating with their Asian co-religionists that fosters the spread of ideas, and possibly technology.
 
IIRC, there were Buddhist missions to Alexandria and Antioch during the Hellenistic period, and I believe Pyrrho claimed that he got his doctrines of radical skepticism from Indian gymnosophists. I think that in order for it to catch on it will have to be heavily Hellenized. Perhaps if a Ptolemy or one of the Pergamene rulers had expressed an interest in the visiting monks and had their scriptures translated into Greek. They could establish schools in Alexandria, Antioch, Ephesus, and Pergamon, stir up academic interest and debate, and eventual attract the patronage of one of the more philosophical Roman rulers (assuming Rome still predominates in the Mediterranean). Then, during whatever dark age came, Buddhist teachers could step into the intellectual void left behind as they did in Sui China.
 
IIRC, there were Buddhist missions to Alexandria and Antioch during the Hellenistic period, and I believe Pyrrho claimed that he got his doctrines of radical skepticism from Indian gymnosophists. I think that in order for it to catch on it will have to be heavily Hellenized. Perhaps if a Ptolemy or one of the Pergamene rulers had expressed an interest in the visiting monks and had their scriptures translated into Greek. They could establish schools in Alexandria, Antioch, Ephesus, and Pergamon, stir up academic interest and debate, and eventual attract the patronage of one of the more philosophical Roman rulers (assuming Rome still predominates in the Mediterranean). Then, during whatever dark age came, Buddhist teachers could step into the intellectual void left behind as they did in Sui China.

This is not that much of a stretch. Mahayana Buddhism was largely the product of the hellenized Indo-Greek Kingdom. Especially in the artistic sense. Having Buddhism spread in this way could be a viable option.
 
Also, I believe that Saint Josaphat is based on the Buddha (Bodhisattva - Budhasaf - Yodhasaf - Ioasaph - Josaphat). His story follows the Buddha's quite closely, with him being kept away from suffering by being sequestered in a palace, but then going out one day and seeing a poor man, a sick man, a dead man, and a hermit, the difference being that the hermit then converts him to Christianity.
 
Yes, you may be onto something there. This could tie into what I mentioned before, with Saint Josaphat being directly identified with the Buddha.
 
This is not that much of a stretch. Mahayana Buddhism was largely the product of the hellenized Indo-Greek Kingdom. Especially in the artistic sense. Having Buddhism spread in this way could be a viable option.
Very true. Early Mahayana depictions of the Buddha and early depictions of Jesus are both based on cult images of Apollo. It's sometimes disconcerting to see side-by-side different reliefs of a curly haired young man tending a flock of sheep using identical hand gestures, and one is Jesus and the other Buddha.
 
IIRC, there were Buddhist missions to Alexandria and Antioch during the Hellenistic period, and I believe Pyrrho claimed that he got his doctrines of radical skepticism from Indian gymnosophists. I think that in order for it to catch on it will have to be heavily Hellenized. Perhaps if a Ptolemy or one of the Pergamene rulers had expressed an interest in the visiting monks and had their scriptures translated into Greek. They could establish schools in Alexandria, Antioch, Ephesus, and Pergamon, stir up academic interest and debate, and eventual attract the patronage of one of the more philosophical Roman rulers (assuming Rome still predominates in the Mediterranean). Then, during whatever dark age came, Buddhist teachers could step into the intellectual void left behind as they did in Sui China.

Perhaps Constantine or some analogous figure embraces Buddhism, ITTL. Assuming everything else turns out roughly like OTL beforehand.
 
Then there really wouldn't be much difference. Europeans might be somewhat more literate and pacifistic, but that's pretty much it.
(Edit: Europe, on the other hand, would be connected to co-religionists in India and Central Asia by trade for reasons of exchanging and transmitting schools of Buddhist thought. This could have possibilities.)
 
Then there really wouldn't be much difference. Europeans might be somewhat more literate and pacifistic, but that's pretty much it.

Would European powers still come to dominate half the globe? Or would Buddhist teachings contradict that?

And would Rome -- Eastern Rome anyways -- still fall? What sort of nations would rise up in Europe, anyways?
 
Bump for the "Buddha Bucket": a sneak-peak at Western European Buddhist art:

2123637705_6a1befff79.jpg


:D
 
Then there really wouldn't be much difference. Europeans might be somewhat more literate and pacifistic, but that's pretty much it.

Would European powers still come to dominate half the globe? Or would Buddhist teachings contradict that?

Well, being buddhist didn't stop Tibet from conquering itself a decently sized empire... ;)

And Christianity is technically supposed to be a religion of peace, though that didn't stop there from being warrior monks.

(Mind you, kung fu Templars does sound cool... :D)
 
i make hints that it will happen in my Barbaria TL.

a more quickly converted Greco-Bactrian state with an eye for spreading the word of Buddha west is a good foundation, but it would take time, and i doubt Buddhism would spread throughout all of Europe, maybe more in the east or the Hellenized eastern mediterranean.
 
Well, being buddhist didn't stop Tibet from conquering itself a decently sized empire... ;)

And Christianity is technically supposed to be a religion of peace, though that didn't stop there from being warrior monks.

(Mind you, kung fu Templars does sound cool... :D)

Of course. It's not like religion hasn't been warped before. :rolleyes:

But, it's likely that having Buddhist worldview would make European powers act differently, than if they had a Christian worldview.
 
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